Pencil-sharpener.



J.. W. COVER.

PENCIL SHARPENER.

APPLIoATIoN FILED 1120.28, 1910.

' Patented Deo.3, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Eg laf.A

INVENTOB.

70 i112 W Covefi ttolney.

WITMSES.

.7r KLM( A.

J. W. COVER.

PENCIL SHARPENBR.'

APPLICATION FILED 1120.28, 1910.

Patented Dec. 3, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTUR. eb/,zzz-

' Umfer.

lbf .l 01:11 ey.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH Co.. wAsulNc'oN, D. C,

J. W. COVER.

PENCIL SHARPENBR.

APPLIOATION FILED DBG. 28, 1910.

Patented De@.3,1912;

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

3y W 0177 ey".

COL-UMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,\VASHXNGTON, D. C.

INVENTQR. faJ/g' ya Ver.

JOHN w. oovEE, 0E SEATTLE, WAsHrNG'rN.

PENCIL-SHARPENER.

Patented Dee. s, 19122 Application led December 28, 1910. Serial No. 599,730.

1,046,379. specification or Letter-s Patent.

disk as provided with four such knives, while in Fig.A 6 I have shown a disk having 6 straight knives. The exact number of knives employed may be varied as desired and is, to a certain extent, immaterial.

rIhe knives 10 are secured to the outer portion of the disk so as to form a cutting zone extending inward from the perimeter of the disk. The disk is provided withv slots 11 extending through the body thereof, and preferably, also provided with a lug or flange 16, to which the knife may be secured.

The knife is clearly shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11, and consists of a thin sheet of steel having a trough-shaped, or channeled, cross section, forming thereby, two anges 17, one at each edge. The outer edges of these flanges are sharpened and form the cutting edges. These knives may be secured in place by any suitable means. I have herein shown them as provided with slots 18 adapted to receive clamping screws 19 adapted to screw into flange 16yof the disk.

As a matter of convenience in accommodating the pencil holding and turning mechanisms, I form the disk with a central cham ber or recess 13, which includes all that part of the disk lying within the cutting Zone. 'Ihe depth of this recess may vary with the necessities of the case. The disk is also provided with a shaft 14 which is journaled in the frame 2. To the outer end of this shaft may be secured a handle 2O by which it may be turned.

To alt whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jol-IN W. COVER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Seattle, in the county of King and State of Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pencil-Sharpeners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in pencil Sharpeners and comprises the novel parts and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention, stated generally, is to improve and simplify such devices and particularly along the line of securing a more perfect job of sharpening the pencil and to do this in such a way that the liability of breaking the lead be reduced to a minimum.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention embodied in the forms which are now preferred by me.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of thedevice. Fig. 2 is a section taken upon the axial plane of Fig. 1 excepting at the point indicated by the broken line X, X, of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the complete device excepting that a portion of the rotative disk is lbroken away. Fig. 4 is a face viewy of the disk removed from the other parts. Fig. 5 is a half section and half elevation of the disk in edge-view. Fig. 6 is a front view of a disk having a modified type of knife. Fig. 7 is a section taken through the pencil holding mechanism. Fig. S is a section taken upon the line Y, Y, of Fig. 7. Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are respectively longitudinal section face view and cross section of the preferred form of cutting knife. Figs. 12,13 and 14 are respectively front elevation, side elevation and plan of the slide which carries the pencil holding mechanism.

In my present device I employ a rotative disk .to which are secured a plurality of cutting knives, these knives being, preferably, so shaped and secured to the disk that their cutting edges lie at a considerable angle to a radius passing through the knife, whereby the benefitV of what is ordinarily known as a draw cut,'is obtained;

The form of knife which is preferred by me is that which is shown in Figs. 1, 4, 9 and-10, which is substantially an arc of a circle. In Figs. 1 and 4 I have shown the closing the lower part of the disk and is provided on the front side with guides 21 adapted to receive a block 3, so as to permit the latter to slide in the direction of the axis of the shaft 14. This block 3 forms the base upon which the pencil holding and turning mechanisms are mounted.

Block 3 is provided with a depending lug 30, within which is mounted an adjusting screw 31, this screw being held against longitudinal movement in the lug 30 by any suitable means. rlhe inner end of this screw has threaded engagement with the frame. By this means the position of the block may be adjusted toward and from the face of the disk. Block 3 has a vertical hole serving as a journal and support for the pivot stem 40, of the pencil holding member 4. This pencil holding member is held in its place by means of a washer and screw secured to its The frame 2is of a trough-like shape inj lower end. In this manner the pencil holding mechanism is mounted to turn upon a vertical pivot.

The pencil holding member 4 includes as the main part thereof, a sleeve 41 which extends horizontally and is adapted to serve as a journal bearing for a sleeve 5, which sleeve 5 has secured Within it, a spring sleeve 50, the ends o-f which are split and bent inward,so as to engage and securely holdapencil 58 inserted therein. Upon one end of the sleeve 5 is secured a bevel gear 5l, by means of which the sleeve 5 may be turned within` the sleeve 4l.

On the upper side of the sleeve41 and substantially opposite the pivot stem 40, is a second stem 42, which serves as a bearing for a bevel gear 52 which engages with the bevel gear 5l, carried by the pencil turning sleeve 5. Secured to turn with gear 52 is a bevel gear 53, located above the gear 52 and meshing with a gear 6, the latter journaled upon an arm 32, carried by the slide 3. The axis of this gear 6 is substantially coincident with the axis of the shaft 14 of the disk l. The gear is turned by the-disk l as follows: The disk 1 in that part thereof surrounding the recessed chamber 13, is provided with a slot 15 extending in an axial plane. The gear 6 is provided with an arm or pin 60, adapted to enter this slot and to slide therein'. In this manner the gear 6 is free to move lengthwise the axis of the disk and to be turned by the same disk. The revolution of the disk is communicated through the train of gears described so as to cause the pencil 53 to revolve, the direction of revolution when using the mechanism described, being in a direction opposite that of the portion of the disk which is acting upon t-he pencil to sharpen it.

The lower part of the pencil holding member 4, has a projection 43 bearing upon the upper side of the slide 3. This is used as an arm for engagement by a spring 44 which lies between this arm and the outer wall of the slide 3, whereby the member 4 is swung into such a position as to hold the point of the pencil against the face of the disk l. The amount of swing permitted to the member 4 is controlled by a screw 33 which Vengages the member on the opposite side of the center fromthat engaged by the spring.

In using the device, it is preferred that this screw be adjusted so that the cutting of the pencil will cease when the knives just reach the lead, from which it follows that, under these conditions, the knives will not sharpen the lead. I prefer to sharpen a pencil in this manner, as is clearly indicated in Fig. 3, in which the lead is shown as projecting beyond the outside corner of the disk. It is possible, by a little adjustment of the screw 33, to adjust the device so as to sharpen in this manner, pencils having quite a large lead, or pencils having a small lead. This is a matter of considerable advantage where largeleadedcolored pencils are employed.

It is often a matter of considerable advantage in connection with the sharpening of any kind of pencil, not to sharpen the lead by the knife, asto do this would be more likely to break the lead than to sharpen it by other means, as forinstance, by a piece of sand paper or other abrading surface. At the same time it is often not necessary, or desired, that the lead itself be sharpened, as in doing this a considerable percentage of the body of thelead is wasted.

The straight knives, shown in place upon the disk in Fig. 6, are the same in construction as the curved knife shown in Figs. 9, l0 and l1, except that they are straight instead of curved. Both forms of knives are symmetrical, in the sense that they may be secured in reversed position, whereby it is possible to use both edges of t-he knives in succession. The same set of knives willthus have double the time of service before becoming dull which a single edged knife would have. They may also be cheaply formed by stamping processes. By the lateral adjustment of the pencil holding mechanism and its ability to also swing upon an axis, it is possible to adjust the device so as to sharpen a pencil at varying angles, thus giving either a short or long'point as desired. It is also possible to adjust it to suit leads of different sizes. By using a knife of the type described, the finest quality of steel may be employed, thereby getting a more perfect implement than could be ob` tained where heavy cutting wheels, or like devices, are employed. The knives are also of such shapethat they may be readily sharpened when dull and the angle at which the knife moves past the pencil is such secure a smooth cutting effect.

About the perimeter of the disk is a beveled rim 12, which spans t-he outer ends of the slots l1 and tiesl the disk segments together. The slots and the knives are so as to 'j placed and proportioned that the knives eX- f,

tend entirely to the corner between the plane face of the disk and the beveled lface of the rim l2, thereby permitting the pencil lead to project beyond the disk and the pencil to be sharpened to the lead; f

In the base of the frame or case 2 isa drawer recess and drawer 2 for catching the shavings. A cover 7 preferably incloses the upper part of the disk so as to protect against contact with the knives.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A knife for pencil Sharpeners having a base and a ange at each edge 'of the base constituting the cuttingY member and extend-v ing at substantially right angles'to and both in the same direction vfrom the base, said curved lengthtion secured by their base to one side wall knife being symmetrically wise, with the concave side at the back, of the slots, with vtheir flanges extending towhereby the knife may be reversed in posiward the opposite side of the slots, the slots 3G tion to thereby use both cutting edges. and knives being symmetrically curved lon- 2. In a pencil Sharpener, in combination, gitudinally whereby they may be reversed in a rotative disk having slots therein and position to use either cutting edge. knives of a trough-shaped cross section se- 6. A pencil Sharpener comprising a rotacured in the slots with an edge slightly protive disk having curved slots extending in jecting beyond the face of the disk. inclined position across an outer zone thereof 3. A pencil Sharpener comprising a rotawith their concave sides toward the center, tive disk, and a plurality of cutting knives flanges extending from the inner walls of of a channel-shaped cross-section with both said slots toward the back side of the disk, ianges sharpened, said knives being reversiknives of U-sha-ped cross section and curved ble and means for securing said knives to the lengthwise to correspond with the curve of disk in reversed position, thereby to use the slots, the edges of the flanges constituteither cutting edge. ing the cutting edges, and means for secur- 4. In a pencil Sharpener, in combination, ing the base sections of said knives to said disk-flanges, whereby the knife edges project toward the opposite sides of the slots.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto af- Xed my signature at Seattle, Washington,

this 19th day of December, 1910.

JOHN W. COVER.

a rotative disk having slots therein and knives of a trough shaped cross section secured by their base to one side of said slots and with their flanges extending toward the opposite side of the slots, the edges of said flanges constituting the cutting edges of the knives.

5. In a pencil Sharpener, in combination, a rotative disk having slots extending through it and knives of a trough shaped cross sec Witnesses:

H. L. REYNOLDS, CHARLES H. KREGER.

obtained for ve cents each, b v addressing the Commissioner of Eatents,

Washington, D. C.

Copies of this patent may be 

